Waves looking to ‘hoist that rag’

Two-a-days are underway and the search for answers begins.

With only four starters returning from last year’s Suffolk County championship-winning football team, positional questions clearly exist, making a brisk Monday morning practice lively, while presenting the first sneak peak of the new-look Blue Waves.

“Last year, I knew who the quarterback would be,” said head coach Leif Shay. “I knew who the wide receivers would be. But this year is different, every spot is wide open. There’s a lot of guys fighting for spots and reps. It’s not a bad problem to have.”

“Having a whole new group of kids out there challenges discipline and leadership,” Shay said. “That was something I was worried about going in. But our first practice was a productive one. The seniors stepped up.”

The first couple practice days are more about learning: understanding the base offensive running plays and figuring out defensive alignment. But more important than learning the actual plays, Shay said, is setting the tone for what practice will be like for the rest of the season.

“We want our intensity up in practice,” he said. “We get on the kids to pay attention to detail early and often so that when game time comes, it becomes second nature.”

The biggest challenge this season will be rebuilding the offensive line, Shay said. The Blue Waves featured a nearly all-senior line last year — only senior Ryan Harkin is returning. Basically, each position is up for grabs. Except for wherever junior Ethan Greenidge will line up, because at 6-4 290 lbs, one spot will certainly belong to him.

Returning senior all-county halfback Jeremiah Cheatom has no worries about the offensive line.

“Our team is ready to play,” he said. “We’re going to shock the media and the rest of the teams on the Island.”

Though his elite quarterback, Ryan Bitzer, has graduated, senior Cody Smith is eager to step in and ready to prove that he too can be the big-time arm in the Blue Waves offensive attack.

“Cody just lacks some experience,” Shay said. “But he’ll be fine. He’s a gritty, hardworking kid.”

As Bitzer’s backup last year, Smith feels like he learned a lot and added to his game because of it.

“He taught me a lot about the game and how to deal with certain situations,” Smith said. “I have confidence in myself because with hard work, anything is possible.”

But despite all the uncertainty moving forward, Shay acknowledged that in all of his years coaching, he thinks this year’s team is one of the most athletic. So flexibility will most definitely be an advantage.

The other returnees are seniors middle linebacker Mike Van Bommel and free safety Jaron Greenidge. The Blue Waves also picked up a Longwood transfer this year in junior defensive end Troy Trent.

Cheatom warns opposing teams to “expect the unexpected”.

“We have a lot of doubt out there,” Cheatom said. “And I’m just waiting for the season to start so we can show everyone what Riverhead football is about.”

Every season brings a new slogan for the football team. This year the message is “Hoist that rag.”

“[The slogan] came from a book by Kevin Baker called Paradise Alley,” Shay said. “It took place in New York City during the civil war. Basically all the middle-class and lower-class people would gather in the parks to do these impromptu shows. So when it was showtime and everyone was good and drunk, they would chant ‘hoist that rag’ over and over again. That meant to lift the curtain and start the show.”

“So we want our kids to know, once that curtain is lifted, it’s showtime.”

RiverheadLOCAL photos by Peter Blasl
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Correction: A previously published version of this story overlooked the return of senior Ryan Harkin and contained an error in the team slogan